Brisbane braces as MPs lend support

By
Daniel Hurst

Opposition Leader Tony Abbott and Deputy Prime Minister Wayne Swan are encouraging volunteers as Brisbane braces for flooding after days of wild weather.

Opposition Leader Tony Abbott will help fill sandbags in Brisbane as the city braces for flooding after days of wild weather.

Mr Abbott is visiting an SES Depot where Brisbane City Council staff and volunteers are filling sandbags ahead of forecasts some 3600 residential homes could be affected by floods in the next few days.

Brisbane Lord Mayor Graham Quirk will also be helping at the depot.

Deputy Prime Minister Wayne Swan, meanwhile, has visited Goodna, in Ipswich city, west of Brisbane, where residents have also been put on flood alert.

On Twitter, Mr Swan said: Just visited some homes in Enid St Goodna where people are evacuating-great to see so many people turning up offering to help #qldspirit’’

Mr Swan said five more Queensland areas were declared eligible for disaster assistance overnight: the Fraser Coast, Sunshine Coast, Gympie, Moreton Bay and North Burnett local government areas.